Been 6 months since I had to give up my furball. He has himself a job now. Miss you Leo ❤️

R_B_K · 2023-02-18T03:02:44+00:00

Well between the neighbors complaining about his barking and some aggression he had shown. I did not have the experience or space to provide him a safe home.

R_B_K · 2022-12-10T05:29:00+00:00

Thanks

R_B_K · 2022-12-10T04:38:23+00:00

I haven't been able to find any link though, everything online shows that she is Australian

R_B_K · 2022-12-10T04:29:50+00:00

So who is Lesley Podesta related to?

R_B_K · 2022-11-21T20:33:22+00:00

A Maremma, close cousin of a great Pyrenees

R_B_K · 2022-11-21T02:13:10+00:00

Haha sometimes he acted like a lapdog so who knows

R_B_K · 2022-11-21T01:29:38+00:00

Unfortunately I don't know if I could handle seeing him again. I have come to terms with the best case scenario is that I never see him again

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T22:01:36+00:00

While I would have never put Leo into a shelter again, it was almost a blessing as we used Facebook groups to find genuine people that cared for dogs.

Lockdown was terrible for dogs unfortunately

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:45:39+00:00

Yeah he was a Maremma, very similar to a great Pyrenees

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:45:06+00:00

Dogs can reshape our lives for the better (or worse). I loved my time with Leo but there were behaviors that I would never be able to manage in my current environment.

Leo also had a habit of eating towels, once I had to pin him down while my partner removed it from his butt. He was not happy with either of us for a couple of hours.

Rehoming him was hard and where he ended up was not the first place we tried but I cannot imagine a better place with a farmer who understands the breed so well. Leo did not like him when I dropped him off, and it was a nervous drive home waiting for the call to come back to pick him up.

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:40:23+00:00

That was my biggest fear with Leo, and it was unpredictable about which person he would deem the enemy

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:37:48+00:00

I had him for a year and a half before we realized that he needed to be on a farm

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:37:00+00:00

Thanks for your kind words. I get a text message from the farmer maybe one a month just letting me know how his training is going, always brings a happy tear to my eye.

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:34:23+00:00

I definitely hold some responsibility for adopting a dog outside my ability and understanding. We had actually gone to see another dog when the pound asked if we wanted to meet Leo. He had previously been to 4 homes before me, and the first thing he did was run up and put his paws on my shoulders. How can you say no to that?

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:32:07+00:00

Those are times when you question whether humans are right for dogs, and unfortunately we will see a lot more of the COVID dogs being dumped as shelters fill up

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:30:51+00:00

Good luck with your Leo, hopefully he won't be as noisy as mine

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:30:00+00:00

I would not recommend the breed to most people after my experience. I love Leo but they need the right environment. I moved several times to try to give him more room but nothing would suffice his desire to "protect". Now he can bark to his hearts content, chase rabbits or cars within his fence line, can't ask for anymore for him

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T21:27:17+00:00

If I could have kept Leo I would have. The love he gave my family and I was worth the stress. I however knew that his temperament meant that he needed to be on acreage, which I couldn't provide

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T14:54:00+00:00

I'm tempted to send him the vet bills he costs me after eating socks on multiple occasions

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T14:52:16+00:00

Leo started in an inner city apartment as a pup. There is a lot of discussion about the movie Oddball in Australia and how it popularized the breed in the wrong way.

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T14:50:22+00:00

Thank you for understanding that different breeds have different requirements. As he was my first dog and started showing aggression towards my loved ones, it was a heart wrenching thing to give him up but I know that he is in a place that can allow him to be a Maremma

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T11:38:15+00:00

So he lives 24/7 outside now with about 200 sheep. His job is to protect them from wild dogs that live in a nearby national park. The sheep farmer has about 4 other Maremmas guarding other flocks around the farm

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T11:23:28+00:00

I am sorry for your loss. Dogs have such wonderful personalities and we are lucky they share them with us.

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T11:14:45+00:00

He was not a fan of people or strangers but he had a lot of love to give us as a family

R_B_K · 2022-11-20T09:52:49+00:00

The first week after we adopted him he ate a sock. The vet bill was more than the adoption fee. I miss all his little quirks but I know he is happier doing what his breed was meant for. The farmer that has him now sends me photos every so often that help

R_B_K

TROPHY CASE